TALL DARK AND HUNGRY Page 0,117

he admitted. "But she was an exception. She was dying, and we had to save her."

"Rachel is a vampire, but wasn't one before?" she asked.

"No."

"And Greg?"

"Your garden variety Canadian psychologist--un¬til he and Lissianna fell in love and she turned him."

Terri nodded slowly. "So, for me to be your mate, you'd have to turn me?"

"Yes. If you were willing."

"And if I wasn't?"

"Then I'd have to watch you age and weaken and die, just as you did Ian and your mother--only over a much longer period of time, of course. I'd do that for you, Terri. And I'd love you till the end. It would kill me, but... we mate for life in our family." He opened the door, took a step out, then turned. "I'll be staying at the George Hotel for two nights, then I fly back to America."

Terri nodded slowly, and he nodded back; then he pulled the door closed and walked to his rental car. Bastien didn't know if he'd done the right thing leaving her with this knowledge. He might be risking his entire family. But love was about trust, and he trusted Terri. She loved him, arid while she might not be able to accept what he was in the end, she would never set out to hurt him.

Terri unwrapped her prawn sandwich, took a bite, then set it down with a sigh and glanced out her office window. Prawn was her favorite, but it didn't taste very good at the moment. Nothing did since she'd left New York. Since leaving Bastien.

Terri grimaced and picked up her sandwich again. It had been almost a week since Bastien had left her cottage. And while she had said she needed time to digest what he'd told her... well, she had indiges¬tion. She couldn't quite seem to get a grip on what he was. Terri understood what he had said, and while she knew there was probably a lot more explanation, she could mostly comprehend the nanos and blood bit. But understanding and believing and accepting were vastly different things. Terri understood what he claimed to be, she believed it was possible, but she was having trouble accepting it. Her wonderful, sweet, per¬fect, fairy-tale romance had turned out to have a twist. Prince Charming was a bloodsucker.

"That looks tasty."

Terri glanced up at that dry comment, then leapt to her feet. "Kate!"

"Hi." Grinning, the other woman removed her sunglasses and started forward, walking around the desk with every intention of hugging her.

Fear shooting through her, Terri instinctively held her hand out to stop her cousin, then blinked at the sandwich she was holding up like some Victorian wench holding up a cross.

"Bite?" she offered lamely.

Kate stared at the sandwich, burst out laughing and took it. She tossed it in the garbage bin under Terri's desk, snatched her hand, and drew her towards the door. "Come on, we're going to Harvey Nichols for lunch."

"Oh, but Harvey Nichols is so expensive," Terri protested, dragging her feet.

Much to her amazement, it didn't even slow Kate down. Terri had to wonder if the added-strength bit in vampire movies was true.

"It is," Kate answered, as if she'd spoken the thought aloud. She grabbed Terri's light spring coat off the rack as she dragged her cousin past it.

"You can read my mind?" Terri asked, shocked.

"Yes. That's true, too," Kate said mildly. -

"So, all that time, Bastien could read my mind?" she asked in horror. "He knew what I was thinking?"

"Nope. He couldn't read your mind. Which is why you two are perfect together."

"It is?"

"Uh-huh."

"Kate, I don't think..." Terri paused abruptly as her cousin stopped walking and turned to face her, eyes narrowed.

"Terri, I am Kate. The same Kate you've always known. The cousin you love, who loves you. The girl you used to hunt tadpoles with. Nothing has changed. And it upsets me that you would be afraid of me because of a change in my medical condition." She paused, then added, "Especially since I took time out of my honeymoon to come here and straighten out what Bastien messed up."

"Your honeymoon?" Terri whispered.

"Yes. My honeymoon," Kate repeated." The minute Marguerite called and told me what hap¬pened, I insisted Lucern and I change our original plans to include Huddersfield, England, as part of our tour. Then I left Lucern all alone and lonely in the George Hotel and caught the train here to Leeds to see you, all because I love you. I want you happy. I would never hurt you. If I'd wanted to bite